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Coruscant
General Information Saga Edition Core Rules|page=229}} Knowledge Lore Knowledge Sciences Old Republic Era Knight of the Old Republic|page=124}} Already the most important and prominent world in the galaxy, Coruscant is a bustling planet where decisions affecting the entire galaxy are made. Though the Republic fights to defend itself against threats from all sides, Coruscant is a shining gem at the center of the Core. It serves as a bastion of civilization in a darkening galaxy. Coruscant changes little in the time between the Great Sith War and the Clone Wars, and most of the features of Coruscant that are seen in later years are already in place by this time. Coruscant has seen its share of battles, however, and continues to do so throughout the wars that plague the galaxy during this time. The defenses around Coruscant are tougher than they will be during the fall of the Republic a few millennia later, and security procedures during this time more closely resemble those that will be in place during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Corporations volunteer their security firms to help police and protect Coruscant, which the Senate allows as a part of the rebuilding process following the Great Sith War. As a result, visitors are just as likely to encounter corporate enforcers as Republic military personnel when arriving on Coruscant, a fact that gives citizens of the Republic pause. Clone Wars Era Coruscant experiences a number of radical changes after the start of the Clone Wars. Large swathes of the cityscape are laid low to make room for military staging areas. Millions of citizens are displaced by the urban renewal, the vast majority of them impoverished, members of alien species loyal to the Confederacy, or both. There is an initial public outcry, but with the war effort in full swing, such dissidence is either ignored or quickly quashed. Acts of terrorism are commonplace. Most are the products of Separatist cells, though a few isolated incidents are of questionable origin. Bombings are the most common types of attacks used by Separatist terrorists. Given Coruscant’s large population, these indiscriminate tactics result in hundreds sometimes thousands of casualties. Terrorists also employ toxic gasses and attempt to compromise the integrity of Coruscant’s water and food supplies. Assassination attempts against influential Republic politicians are also common. Clone troopers patrol much of the planet in force. Ostensibly, this is to combat and root out terrorist threats. More often than not, it is to maintain order and keep public protests to a minimum. Given the clones’ military training, they are prone to using deadly force in situations that don’t warrant it, and they have little compunction about doing so. Local authorities are helpless to intervene, and they can do little more than stand idly by and watch events unfold. Discrimination based on species becomes more common on Coruscant. Overwhelming votes in the Senate have resulted in a number of mass deportations targeting members of species that are loyal to the Separatist movement. The majority of the deported individuals are loyal citizens of the Republic, however, which only makes enemies of individuals who might have otherwise been supportive of Palpatine’s leadership. Dark Times Era The Dark Times bring changes to Coruscant that remain discreetly overlooked, concealed, and forgotten due to the complacency of the planet’s affluent Human population and its interest in maintaining the decadent status quo that was prominent on the world in the waning days of the Republic. Palpatine quietly sweeps away most vestiges of the Republic that interfered with his agenda, leaving the masses their upscale diversions, Human High Culture, and the illusion that they still hold prominence in the galaxy. The once grand Jedi Temple remains closed by Imperial order, left to crumble over time as citizens politely ignore its presence. The Senate continues to meet, but the debate and legislation is weak and ineffectual. Stormtroopers, Imperial military personnel, ISB and COMPNOR officials, and self-important advisors to a number of important dignitaries linger everywhere, subtle but constant reminders of the Emperor’s true power. Most citizens don’t even care that Palpatine renames the planet Imperial Center. Real changes happen in the deeper levels beneath Coruscant’s polished surface. Most aliens disappear from Coruscant society, enterprise, and politics. Many return to their homeworlds or colony enclaves elsewhere when it becomes clear that Palpatine’s advocacy of Human High Culture really espouses a policy of alien persecution. Those who have vested interests on Coruscant—or those who don’t have the means to emigrate—are herded into Alien Protection Zones walled off by ferrocrete barriers with perimeters patrolled by stormtroopers, the most infamous being the Invisible Sector, or Invisec. With little access to the outside, these ghettos become brutal breeding holes for criminal activities. Channels eventually open with contacts offworld that fuel this criminal economy and plunge the ghettos further into depravity and poverty. Crime flourishes elsewhere on Coruscant. from the spires of the richest citizens to the deeper cesspits of commoners. Prince Xizor, head of the fabulously successful Xizor Transport Systems, maintains a palace in the heart of Imperial City, the covert hub of the vast Black Sun crime syndicate. Entire residential sectors in the lower levels breed petty criminals and underworld organizations that pursue their illegal activities on whatever scale they can achieve. Despite conditions conducive to rebellion, few resistance movements on Coruscant become large or successful enough to even faze the general populace. Although a few cells form among conscientious aristocrats, politicians, and corporate executives, most draw from disaffected citizens and the persecuted alien population. Invisec in particular becomes a fertile recruiting ground for alien groups seeking to directly oppose Imperial tyranny, break out of their ghettos, and carry the right to Coruscant’s surface and beyond. Most adopt an anti-Human stance to attract more recruits and fuel their anger. Although political dissenters, alien activists, and resistance Fighters from around the galaxy attempt to infiltrate Coruscant, deliver aid and inspiration to comrades in arms, and undermine the Empire at its core, the stranglehold of the Imperial military presence and the Indifference of the privileged population stifle any significant insurgent activities. Legacy Era Under Darth Krayt, the capital planet of the Galactic Alliance has now become the capital planet of the Galactic Empire. Coruscant has been returned almost perfectly to its state under the reign of Emperor Palpatine, with Star Destroyers constantly in orbit over the world, stormtroopers on every street corner, and Sith Lords lurking in the shadows. Coruscant under the direct rule of the Sith has become a dark and forbidding place, and while it is still the center of galactic civilization, it has become more like a shadowy fortress world than the cosmopolitan home of Imperial nobility. Moreover, Darth Krayt does not tolerate any unrest, dissent, or lawlessness under his watchful eyes. Summary executions are common for even the most casual of offenses. The citizens of Coruscant live constantly in the frightening shadow of the Sith. Sith Lords come and go on a daily basis, and whispers among the citizenry claim that some of the more sadistic Sith come down from Krayt’s temple to practice with their lightsabers on innocent individuals, hunting the people of Coruscant through the darkened alleyways with sadistic pleasure. The Imperial nobles and bureaucrats who live on Coruscant are not immune to these fears, and only the foolish or the forsaken dare walk alone on the streets at night. Despite the Imperial crackdown, crime is rampant, especially in the lower levels where the Imperial presence is lightest. __NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Gameplay Category:Lore Category:Galactic Gazetteer Category:Core Rules Category:KotOR Category:Force Unleashed Category:Clone Wars Category:Legacy Era